CSO & CTO, Technology Services

25 Years of Experience

Previously At

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Technology Services/

IT Strategy Consulting/

IT Infrastructure Services

IT Infrastructure Services – Build a Resilient Technology Foundation

Establish a solid and sustainable technology foundation with Toptal’s IT Infrastructure Services. Our IT experts design and implement robust infrastructure solutions that enhance performance, security, and business growth.

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Clients Served

25,000+

Vetted Professionals

20,000+

Toptal Total Projects Delivered

64,000+

Industries Served

300+

TRUSTED BY LEADING BRANDS

Our Services

Toptal IT Infrastructure Services

Optimize your IT environment with scalable, secure solutions tailored to your needs. From cloud migration to network design, we ensure seamless scalability and seamless operations.

Infrastructure Strategy

Evaluate and streamline your IT setup for optimal performance and future growth.

Cloud Migration

Transition to the cloud with minimal downtime and maximum efficiency.

Network Design

Develop secure, scalable networks tailored to your business needs.

Server Management

Maintain optimal server performance for uninterrupted operations.

IT Infrastructure Automation

Streamline processes through automation for improved efficiency.

Data Center Modernization

Upgrade your data centers to align with cutting-edge technologies.

Disaster Recovery Planning

Implement strategies to ensure business continuity in the face of unexpected events.

Cybersecurity

Protect your IT environment with advanced security frameworks from data breaches and cyberthreats.

Compliance Management

Facilitate IT compliance with industry regulations and standards.

Storage Optimization

Optimize storage systems to handle increasing data demands.

IT Operations Management

Enhance IT service delivery with proactive management strategies.

IoT Infrastructure Support

Manage and secure IoT ecosystems for connected operations.

Looking for guidance about the perfect IT infrastructure service for your needs?

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PARTNERSHIP THAT WORKS

How We Deliver IT Infrastructure Services

Our IT infrastructure experts, with experience at leading companies, develop and deploy tailored solutions to meet your business needs and unique industry demands for sustainable results and long-term success.

Discover

A leader from our team assesses your business challenges, identifies opportunities, and recommends the most suitable engagement model.

Define

A Toptal leader will work with you to define your goals and service needs – from full end-to-end delivery to consulting services.

Develop

Once your service is defined and you have your talent or team on board, they will create your unique project timeline, process, and initial proposals, whether you’re migrating to the cloud or modernizing your data center.

Deploy

Toptal will get to work, tracking quality assurance, handling project management, and maintaining the delivery schedule.

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Ali Faraj

CSO & CTO, Technology Services

Ali is an IT leader and strategist with 25+ years of experience at IBM, Verizon, Thomson Reuters, and Cognizant. He has led global teams, building and scaling multibillion-dollar annual growth. As a turnaround and strategic growth expert, he has jump-started innovation, grown revenue, and improved productivity. He has worked across verticals and across a wide range of technologies including AI/ML, cloud, ERP, CRM, ITSM, cybersecurity, and others.Ali is an IT leader and strategist with 25+ years of experience at IBM, Verizon, Thomson Reuters, and Cognizant. He has led global teams, building and scaling multibillion-dollar annual growth. As a turnaround and strategic growth expert, he has jump-started innovation, grown revenue, and improved productivity.

Previously At

CUSTOMIZED SOLUTIONS

IT Infrastructure Solutions That Deliver Value

Toptal delivers leading IT infrastructure services through its diverse talent network and flexible delivery models. We implement the right skills at each project phase, blending expertise from various roles for seamless execution.

Managed Delivery by Toptal
On-demand Talent and Teams

Managed Delivery by Toptal

End-to-end project delivery per your specific requirements.

CSO & CTO, Technology Services

Delivery Manager

IT Infrastructure Engineer

Software Architect

Solutions Architect

Security Architect

IT Project Manager

IT Infrastructure Engineer

Ali Faraj

CSO & CTO, Technology Services

Previously at

Technology Experience

25+ Years

Rachael Karaffa

Delivery Manager

Rachael serves as a Delivery Manager at Toptal with a focus on leading diverse global teams in developing innovative solutions for our clients. She works across multiple disciplines, including technology, marketing, and management consulting. Rachael specializes in managing people and client relationships, process optimization, and driving teams toward optimal business outcomes.

Previously Managed Client

Experience

9+ Years

Carl Brown

Verified Expert in Engineering

20+ Years

of Experience

IT Infrastructure Engineer

Carl is a senior security architect with multiple decades of experience building security standards, developing security solutions, and ensuring the appropriate security controls are in place and functioning as designed before a project and infrastructure move into production. Principle security solutions and policies include ServiceNow ITSM, GRC Archer, MS O365, ERP/billing systems, legal obligations solutions, damage claim app, and QR mobile applications projects.

Previously at

Timothy Mensch

Verified Expert in Engineering

15+ Years

of Experience

Software Architect

Tim is a senior software architect and engineer. He has built the technology stack for multiple startups from the ground up. Tim has experience rescuing projects and turning train wrecks into successful launches, and has worked in many domains, including 3D games, retail, banking, Internet of Things, high-performance servers, machine learning, and scalable application server design. Tim has also worked with cloud servers like Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, and Azure.

Previously at

Claudio Nazzari

Verified Expert in Engineering

19+ Years

of Experience

Solutions Architect

Claudio has more than 19 years of software development experience and a cybersecurity degree. He has worked in back-end, front-end, and full-stack development; DevSecOps; application security; penetration testing; and solutions architecture.

Previously at

Montasir Azad

Verified Expert in Engineering

22+ Years

of Experience

Security Architect

Montasir is an InfoSec leader with 22+ years of experience managing cybersecurity and enterprise architecture. He has designed and enforced security solutions for complex IT systems, including creating five-year security technical architecture roadmaps. With solid technical expertise and a profound grasp of industry best practices, Montasir develops and executes cybersecurity strategies that effectively mitigate risks, protect sensitive data, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.

Previously at

Vanessa Wood

Verified Expert in Engineering

10+ Years

of Experience

IT Project Manager

Vanessa is an energetic and highly competent Certified Information Systems Security and Project Management Professional (CISSP, PMP). She has spent 10+ years successfully directing complex technical programs for companies like Salesforce, Microsoft, and Boeing. Vanessa also has an excellent track record demonstrating leadership abilities, executive decision-making, complex problem-solving, detailed project planning, and effective communication.

Previously at

Milan Jezdik

Verified Expert in Engineering

27+ Years

of Experience

IT Infrastructure Engineer

Milan is an experienced DevSecOps engineer specializing in on-premise, cloud, and hybrid infrastructure. He also has a vast experience in virtualization, Linux, LAMP, databases, high availability (HA), business continuity plan (BCP), and disaster recovery (DR). Milan is a dedicated and focused individual, able to take on any infrastructure challenge and provide the most efficient solutions. Over the last few years, Milan focused on AI/ML platforms (MLOps) and security compliance, such as SOC-2.

Previously at

On-demand Talent and Teams

20,000+ vetted professionals, ready to deploy individually or in teams.

IT Infrastructure Engineer

Cybersecurity Expert

Cloud Architect

DevOps Engineer

IT Infrastructure Engineer

Technical Architect

DevSecOps Engineer

IT Product Manager

Information Security Specialist

Verified Expert in Engineering

28+ Years

of Experience

IT Infrastructure Engineer

With more than 28 years of IT management experience and 30+ certifications in various areas related to information and technology, Patricio is an expert with Oracle, Microsoft, Red Hat, and other technologies. Patricio has worked across domains, such as banking, insurance, retail, and education, and has taught specialized courses. He has consulted in roles such as enterprise architect, multi-platform DBA, data engineer, and Power BI developer.

Previously at

Verified Expert in Engineering

35+ Years

of Experience

Cybersecurity Expert

Greg is a seasoned and highly qualified cybersecurity and compliance executive. He has built and led cybersecurity and compliance teams in different healthcare, financial services, and pharmaceutical organizations throughout his career. Greg's proven expertise in technical, administrative, and procedural controls for information protection allows him to help businesses keep their critical information secure, confidential, and intact.

Previously at

Verified Expert in Engineering

26+ Years

of Experience

Cloud Architect

Fabrice is a DevOps engineer with extensive experience in AWS, Kubernetes, and Terraform. He is highly focused on automation using CI/CD and infrastructure as code, always opting for the simplest solutions to complex problems. Fabrice has worked with clients such as Cisco, Topps, MyDocSafe, Armedia, HMRC, and the UK Home Office, as well as medium-size companies and startups. His greatest joy comes from seeing his work being utilized in production and making a positive impact on his clients’ businesses.

Previously at

Verified Expert in Engineering

10+ Years

of Experience

DevOps Engineer

Aditi is a senior DevOps engineer with more than 10 years of experience building and automating cloud infrastructure on AWS and Azure for numerous clients. She has helped integrate open-source tools such as Jenkins, Git, Docker, ELK stack, Argo CD, and Helm. Aditi is eager to work hands-on with the latest technologies and help clients simplify their tasks and achieve their goals.

Previously at

Verified Expert in Engineering

47+ Years

of Experience

IT Infrastructure Engineer

Art has decades of data architecture and cloud-computing consulting experience—mostly in building enterprise data warehouses. Art is an end-to-end solution architect and chief problem solver with a long history of focused execution—according to a statement of work—and successful delivery in a team setting.

Previously at

Verified Expert in Engineering

20+ Years

of Experience

Technical Architect

Christopher is an experienced principal consultant with a demonstrated history of working in the private and public industries. He is skilled in security, software development, enterprise architecture, operations management, IT strategy, cloud computing, and training. As a consulting professional with a doctorate in business administration, Christopher is focused on information systems and enterprise resource management.

Previously at

Verified Expert in Engineering

9+ Years

of Experience

DevSecOps Engineer

Emmanuel is a cloud security engineer with experience in systems auditing, application security, and secure cloud deployment. He has delivered sensitive technology projects across the East African region and globally in the public and private sectors. Emmanuel’s experience is backed by three Microsoft Azure and two AWS certifications. He is a Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH). Emmanuel holds a Master of Science in Information Technology from Carnegie Mellon and a Bachelor of Science from United States International University-Africa.

Previously at

Verified Expert in Product Management

17+ Years

of Experience

IT Product Manager

Christine Chen, CFA, a fintech product leader, specializes in credit, alternative investments, and payments. Using AI and ML/DL, she drives product vision, design, and development for optimal market fit. Her highlights include democratizing a DTC investment app, developing a multimillion-dollar investment platform, leading AI product discovery for an asset management firm, and aiding the world's largest financial data provider in enterprise wide transformation.

Previously at

Verified Expert in Engineering

13+ Years

of Experience

Information Security Specialist

Mohammad is a seasoned cybersecurity professional who excels in translating cybersecurity into practical business language. He is well-versed in cybersecurity risk management and compliance and experienced with standards such as ISO 27001 and ISO 22301, GDPR, and NIST Cybersecurity Framework.

Previously at

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Looking for guidance about the perfect IT infrastructure service for your needs?

UNRIVALED EXPERTISE

Our Talent Has Worked With Top Companies

Having previously worked with these leading global companies, our talent brings valuable insights and expertise to deliver world-class outcomes.

WHY ORGANIZATIONS CHOOSE US

Toptal in Action

Discover the cutting-edge benefits our clients enjoy from the global Toptal network.

Toptal helps leading restaurant chain modernize computing infrastructure while reducing costs.

Challenge: The client’s infrastructure code was distributed in a disorganized way, with varied repositories and coding languages. This resulted in an inefficient developer experience, significant time lost for the development team, lagging application performance, and potential security issues. In turn, this suboptimal infrastructure led to oversubscription of Amazon Web Services and increased costs.

Solution: The company partnered with Toptal to bring in a DevOps engineer specializing in AWS, who not only revamped their computing infrastructure using AWS ECS, Terraform, and IaC frameworks but also optimized their AWS services by implementing advanced solutions, enhancing security and monitoring with Datadog, and preventing faulty code deployments.

Impact: After implementing the advanced AWS ECS solution, the company saw improved application performance, heightened security, a 23% decrease in costs, and an estimated 20% increase in time saved. The scalable infrastructure dynamically adjusts services based on demand, optimizing performance and minimizing AWS expenses.

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

Explore Insights From the IT Infrastructure Field

Read the latest articles and resources to keep you current on emerging trends in IT infrastructure, cloud solutions, disaster recovery, and more.

Elevating Developer Experience in Cloud Computing: A Strategic Guide for Organizational Leaders

Propel your company’s cloud technology with a superior DevEx strategy. Toptal’s Cloud Services Practice Lead explains how to achieve faster delivery of services and increased user satisfaction.

TJ Urglavitch

Cloud Services Practice Lead

13 Years of Experience

TJ has more than a decade of leadership experience in the hosting and cloud services industry and guides clients through the complexities of cloud computing adoption and transformation. He holds a degree in accounting from Delaware County Community College and accreditations for both Scrum and the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL).

Previously at

3 Cybersecurity Archetypes and How They Affect Risk Priorities and Staffing

Michael Figueroa

Michael is a seasoned information security leader with experience at the Advanced Cyber Security Center and Toptal. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in high-tech crime investigations from George Washington University.